The Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Your body's stressed as it is, so give it the break it needs with anti-inflammatory foods rich in omega-3s and antioxidants. The benefits, which include a reduced chance of disease and a healthier you, aren't too shabby either by Monica Reinagel, M.S., L.N.

Distinguishing Features

There's an emphasis on colorful, antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables

Avocados, nuts, and olive oil provide monounsaturated fats

Liberal use of spices, especially the "hot" ones

Flagship flavors: curry, ginger, garlic, and chili peppers

This Is Your Diet If...

You love exploring international cuisines

You're on an anti-aging crusade

You have a great fish market

You like to eat out

Probably Not for You If...

You don't care for fish

You dislike spicy food

You live for pasta, potatoes, and bread

Cream and butter are your two favorite food groups

The Details

Research shows that inflammation in the body not only increases your risk of disease (including heart disease and stroke) but can make it tougher to lose weight as well. This diet emphasizes foods that are high in antioxidants, monounsaturated fats, and omega-3 fatty acids, all of which reputedly help reduce inflammation. Keeping your diet low in sugar further cools the inflammatory fires by keeping blood-sugar levels in check.

Salmon, flaxseeds, and walnuts (all rich in omega-3s) are star players, along with antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables such as berries, broccoli, carrots, and spinach. Olive oil is the primary source of fat. Choosing lean meats and low-fat dairy products keeps saturated fat levels down. Vegetable oils, which are high in omega-6 fats (getting too much omega-6 fat is believed to increase inflammation), and simple carbohydrates are minimized.

Certain spices, such as garlic, turmeric, ginger, and chili peppers, also have potent inflammation-reducing abilities, so menus are inflected with Indian, Asian, and Latin flavors.

Editor's note: The author of this story, Monica Reinagel, also wrote The Inflammation Free Diet Plan, featured below. Despite her affiliation with this diet, we are confident in her ability to provide an unbiased analysis of the other diets featured on Epicurious.

Books on the Anti-Inflammatory Diet

The Anti-Inflammation Zone by Barry Sears, Ph.D.
Sears layers anti-inflammatory principles onto his original 40:30:30 approach (40 percent of calories from carbohydrates, 30 percent from protein, and 30 percent from fat). You'll still build balanced meals and snacks using the plan's concept of "Zone blocks" (each block is made up of mini-blocks of protein, carbs, and fat), but there's a heightened emphasis on fish, veggies, berries, olive oil, almonds, avocado, and spices.

The Perricone Weight-Loss Diet by Nicholas Perricone, M.D.
Celebrity dermatologist Nicholas Perricone promises that an anti-inflammatory diet will give you smoother, younger-looking skin in addition to a svelte physique. His diet program is built on anti-inflammatory "super-foods." In addition to the usual suspects (salmon, avocado, olives, turmeric, chile peppers, green veggies, and flaxseeds), he adds yogurt, apples, and cinnamon to his Top Ten list.

The Inflammation Free Diet Plan by Monica Reinagel, M.S. L.N.
Most anti-inflammatory diet plans revolve around the same short list of foods. For more variety, this book has an "IF Rating" system that ranks thousands of foods according to their "inflammation factor." When you're tired of ginger-glazed salmon and broccoli, expand your repertoire with other types of fish, meats, fruits, vegetables, grains, and spices. Build anti-inflammatory recipes and meal plans by adding up the IF Ratings of individual foods. (Editor's note: Nutrition Data's Nutrition Facts labels provide IF Ratings for individual foods, recipes, and whole meals.)